The Marriott hotels portfolio is the largest globally, spanning thousands of properties worldwide. This is excellent news for Marriott fans as it means finding a hotel in which to stay has never been easier.

However, Marriott made waves in late 2021 when it announced it would be dropping its semi-fixed award chart. But it's not all bad news. To help out travelers, Marriott also stated that those holding free night certificates would be able to top-up with an additional 15,000 points from their account. This unlocks some incredible value for your certificate.

Let's take a look at a few Marriott hotels that are worth a top-up for your 35,000-point certificate.

Top up your 35K-point Marriott free night certificate with points

As it stands, two different credit cards offer an annual free night certificate worth 35,000 points:

Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card: Earn 3 Free Night Awards (each night valued up to 50,000 points) after spending $3,000 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening with the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card.

Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card: Earn three Free Night Awards after you use your new Card to make $6,000 in eligible purchases within the first 6 months of Card Membership. Redemption level up to 50,000 Marriott Bonvoy® points for each bonus Free Night Award, at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy®. Certain hotels have resort fees. Terms Apply.

Under Marriott's old award chart, using the top-ups on your 35,000-point Marriott certificate would allow you to jump up two entire categories, landing at former Category 7 hotels.

If you max out the top-up, you’ll be spending an additional 15,000 points on the free night. NerdWallet values Marriott Bonvoy points at 0.8 cent each, which means you’ll be redeeming $105 worth of additional Marriott points for your stay.